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NEW YORK (May 11, 2021) - A group of scientists say now is the time to talk about reintroducing jaguars (Panthera onca) into the U.S.
In a study published today in the journal
Conservation Science and Practice, the authors provide a prospective framework for this effort and describe righting a wrong done to America s Great Cat in the Southwest more than 50 years ago. The big cats lived for hundreds of years in the central mountains of Arizona and New Mexico but were driven to local extinction by the mid-20th century, in part because of killing by government hunters.
Authors of the study include a diverse set of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Center for Landscape Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlands Network, Pace University, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Life Net Nature, and the Center for Biological Diversity.
For Immediate Release, March 17, 2021
Contact:
Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org
Kerry Skiff, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0253, kskiff@defenders.org
Scientists Identify 20 Million Acre Habitat Area for Jaguars in Arizona, New Mexico
New Study Finds Habitat for More Than 150 Big Cats, Lays Groundwork for Potential Reintroduction
TUCSON,
Ariz. A team of scientists has identified a wide swath of habitat in Arizona and New Mexico 20 million acres, or about 32,000 square miles that could eventually support more than 150 jaguars.
In a study published in
Oryx The International Journal of Conservation, the team says that the central mountains of the two states, which they call the Central Arizona/New Mexico Recovery Area or CANRA, offers new opportunities for the United States to contribute to recovery of the species.